Arc Raiders, the multiplayer extraction adventure game by Embark Studios, surpassed 100,000 concurrent players within minutes of launching on October 30, and that number is only rising. Developed by the same studio that created 2023’s highly rated free-to-play first-person shooter The Finals, Arc Raiders throws players into a third-person PvPvE environment set in Earth’s distant future. View the full article
Despite being the most-hyped thing at Gamescom last year, topping Steam wishlists and raking in nearly 1.4 million concurrent players shortly after launch, Monster Hunter Wilds is struggling to pull in the sales even compared to its four-year-old predecessor... Read more.View the full article
Act fast, and you could still be in with a chance of winning a special Monster Hunter Wilds edition of the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT. This free AMD graphics card giveaway could net you a GPU worth over $700, and there are five chances of grabbing the top prize, but just six days left to enter. As our RX 9070 XT review showed, this AMD GPU is its best in years, producing great overall frame rates and providing a big boost in ray tracing performance - ideal for a gaming PC build of which even Gemma would be proud. In fact, it's so good it remains our pick for the best graphics card for most gamers, thanks to it also being great value (at its MSRP). And you know what makes it even better value? When you get one for free! Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D leak hints at new budget AM5 Zen 4 gaming CPU Two new AMD Ryzen X3D gaming CPUs are reportedly incoming, with specs that could dethrone the 9800X3D Best graphics card 2025 - top gaming GPUs View the full article
ARC Raiders might be ideally built to play with your buddy, but you can thrive and survive on your own with the correct build. The emphasis changes significantly when you're not playing with a partner. The world of ARC Raiders has plenty of dangers in the form of other players and the bots, so you'll always have to be on your toes. When playing alone, my utmost focus is to go on a build that well-utilizes all three trees, with the highest emphasis on survival. Table of contentsBest ARC Raiders solo buildSkillsNodesBest ARC Raiders solo build The build I have gone for is basically a jack of all trades (and master of some). It has a good distribution of points in the Mobility and Survival trees, as both are vital to outlast enemies in the wild. However, I haven't forgotten about Conditioning, given the role those skills play, especially when you're on your own. Remix by Destructoid via Metaforge The image above has my build at level 50, which will take a fair amount of time for players to reach. The maximum level cap at launch is 75, so you can continue with this build as you level up. Let me share my idea on the build and how it works. Skills Here's how I have distributed the skills (up to level 50). Conditioning Used to the Weight: 1Gentle Pressure: 1Proficient Pryer: 1 Mobility Nimble Climber: 1Marathon Runner: 5Youthful Lungs: 5Slip and Slide: 3Sturdy Ankles: 1Calming Stroll: 1Carry the Momentum: 1 Survival Agile Croucher: 3Revitalizing Squat: 5In-Round Crafting: 1Looter's Instinct: 1Silent Scavenger: 5Suffer in Silence: 1Good as New: 1Traveling Tinkerer: 1Broad Shoulders: 4Looter's Luck: 4Nodes We begin the build from the three basic nodes that should be your first unlocks. The skills allow you to move quickly while crawling, and having a shield has a lesser negative penalty on movement. The priority should be to unlock Proficient Pryer, as it allows you to scavenge quicker and better. Here are some of the key nodes you should activate as early as possible: Marathon Runner: Moving around will cost less stamina.Youthful Lungs: Raise your maximum stamina.Calming Stroll: Enhances stamina gain during walking.Revitalizing Squat: Stamina regeneration during crouches is enhanced.Silent Scavenger: Less noise while looting.Broad Shoulders: Raises the maximum weight that you can carry. So which two end nodes should you target with this build? I will list down two good options. Security Breach: Allows you to gain access to Security Lockers (you'll still have to breach them).Vaults on Vaults on Vaults: Vaulting no longer costs any stamina.Back on your feet: Allows you to regenerate a portion of your health when you're critically hit. If you go for Back on your Feet, this build will suddenly become skewed towards Conditioning (which is absolutely fine). As for the order of investing the points, it's better to go with your judgment. Every person plays differently, and it's better to focus on the area that might be one of your weaknesses. The post Best ARC Raiders build for solo play appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article
The best Legendary items in Pixel Quest depend on both your build and whether you're going for a boss raid or farming mobs. Below I'll be rating all weapons, abilities, armor and equipment including the current highest tier. Here's my complete Pixel Quest tier list for everything in the game so that you can make the best build. Table of contentsPixel Quest Weapon Tier ListPixel Quest Abilities Tier ListPixel Quest Armor Tier ListPixel Quest Equipment Tier ListPixel Quest Weapon Tier List Image by Destructoid In general, the best weapons in Pixel Quest are Staves and Bows for clearing bosses/elites due to their range and Swords for crowd clearing due to their AOE. Axes and Daggers tend to be somewhere in the middle and quite flexible though they lack Staff/Bow range so you really have to learn patterns well. Also, special abilities and stat bonuses from Legendary items come into play here so let's dive into the ranking reasons below. Weapon CategoriesRanking ReasonsStats Staff of the Worm Ahi's Reaper T4 Staff Coral Staff Lily Staff Sylvan StaffBoss Ranking• SoW and Ahi's Reaper are the best boss-killers due to their reliable Range, single target shots and DPS Wear Ahi's Amulet with the Reaper for optimal DPS • The T4 Staff also does the job quite well for all bosses • Coral Staff is good DPS with the extra projectiles but they're more spread out so it's more like a bow meaning you have to get closer • Lily Staff has such as bad damage range with 5-20 but it's still a Staff so the range is good • Sylvan Staff is bad due to the range Mob Ranking • All staves aren't the best for groups because they don't pierce but SoW and Ahi still do great against elite Dungeon groups • Coral Staff is really good for crowds due to the bullet hell spread from your passive• Worm Staff Damage: 45-55 Range: 10 Tiles Shots: 1 Rate of Fire: 2.5/s On Equip: +10 Wisdom, +30 Mana • Ahi’s Reaper Damage: 30-35 Range: 12 Tiles Shots: 2 Rate of Fire: 2.5/s On Equip: +8 Speed On Shot: If "Ahi's Amulet" is equipped, shoot an additional projectile dealing 20-25 True Damage • Executioner’s Staff T4 Damage: 22-26 Range: 10 Tiles Shots: 2 Rate of Fire: 2.5/s • Coral Staff Damage: 20-25 Range: 10 Tiles Shots: 1 Rate of Fire: 2.5/s On Equip: +10 Wisdom On Shot: 50% Chance to fire 2 additional projectiles dealing 25-30 damage Valor Boost: 1% • Lily Staff Damage: 5-20 Range: 10 Tiles Shots: 2 Rate of Fire: 2.5/s On Equip: +50 Mana • Sylvan Staff Damage: 5-20 Range: 4 Tiles Shots: 8 Rate of Fire: 2.5/s On Equip: +5 Wisdom Mushroom Bow T4 Bow Hand CannonBoss Ranking• Rush Wisdom with Mushroom Bow for a shotgun weapon that's got great range and decent damage for safe boss clears • Hand Cannon is a single shot so lower DPS due to the lower attack speed if you don't hit all shots on regular bows but Cannon has more DPS on single shots with the recent buff Mob Ranking • Cannon is okay here but it's only a single shot even with the pierce whereas the spreading from Bows works good in crowds• Broadbow T4 Damage: 17-21 Range: 8 Tiles Shots: 3/Pierce enemies Rate of Fire: 2.4/s • Mushroom Bow Damage: 25-30 Range: 8 Tiles Shots: 2/Pierce enemies Rate of Fire: 2.4/s On Stat: At 45 WIS, gain 3 additional projectiles dealing 10-15 damage Valor Boost: 2% Flame Claymore T4 SwordBoss Ranking• Flame Claymore is tons of DPS if you have Heavy Armor but it's B since you have to stay close to the boss which can be dangerous Mob Ranking • Obliterates crowds and non-boss dungeon enemies• Flame Claymore Damage: 75-85 Shots: 1 Rate of Fire: 1.3/s Sword Category: Shots hit multiple enemies in a cone & pass through solids. On Equip: +5 Attack On Shoot: If the “Heavy Armor” category is equipped, gain 65% chance to shoot 5 additional burning projectiles dealing 10-15 Damage. Valor Bonus: 1% • Emerald Sword T4 Damage: 70-101 Shots: 1 Rate of Fire: 1.3/s Sword Category: Shots hit multiple enemies in a cone & pass through solids. Putrid Knife/Dagger of the Bog T4 DaggerBoss Ranking• Daggers are awkward against bosses since you have to aim well and also dodge well at the same time but PK has great damage with Bombs • The regular dagger is really hard to play against bosses if you don't have a healer so it's lower Mob Ranking • Daggers are bad against crowds but PK is actually good due to the Bomb synergy• Putrid Knife (Dagger of the Bog) Damage: 45-54 Range: 6 Tiles Shots: 1 Rate of Fire: 3.75/s On Bomb: Fire 9 slowing projectiles dealing 25-30 damage each. Valor Bonus: 2% • Gilded Dagger T4 Damage: 51-55 Shots: 1 Range: 6 Tiles Rate of Fire: 2.7/s Captain's Axe Warped Axe T4 AxeBoss Ranking• Axes are like Daggers in the sense that you have to both aim well and dodge well for DPS • That said Captain's Axe has amazing DPS if you keep hitting shots Mob Ranking • Warped Axe is slower so worse for bosses but better against crowds due to stacking defense• Warped Axe Damage: 94-96 Range: 9 Tiles Shots: 1/Pierces enemies Rate of Fire: 1.25/s On Enemy Kill: Gain 2 DEF for 10 seconds • Captain’s Axe Damage: 50-57 Range: 9 Tiles Shots: 1/Pierces enemies Rate of Fire: 1/s Inflict: Burning on enemies for 5s 16.5 DPS On Bomb: 60% Chance to Gain 10 VIT for 2 Seconds. • Verdant Axe T4 Damage: 88-92 Range: 6 Tiles Shots: 1/Pierces enemies Rate of Fire: 1/sPixel Quest Abilities Tier List Image by Destructoid The best Abilities in Pixel Quest are all about whether you're going in a team raid or solo and if you're fighting bosses or farming mobs. I chose to rank Legendaries and T4 but if you don't have as much mana you can think of the T4 rankings as T3 or T2 which spend less mana. Check out the rankings reasons below. AbilitiesRanking ReasonsStats T4 TotemBoss Ranking• A must-have in large boss raids for healing your team and yourself Mob Ranking • Good in Dungeons overall but you don't really need it that much in the overworld for farming• Divine Totem T4 Heal Wave: 92 HP on Contact + Self Shots: 1 Size: 3 Titles Speed: 14 Tiles/s Range 5 Tiles MP Cost: 70 Cooldown: 4s Damage BombsBoss Ranking• Annihilates bosses, especially because some high tier weapons have On-Bomb synergy like the Putrid Knife • The highest DPS for your Ability slot and the Legendary is just a little bit better than the T4 Mob Ranking • The best Ability in the game for crowds and farming• Seige Bomb Damage: 37-73 MP Cost: 60 Max Distance: 20 Tiles Cooldown: 0.8s Applies: Burning on enemies for 5s 61.7 DPS • Toxic Fluid Damage: 50-70 MP Cost: 60 Max Distance: 20 Tiles Cooldown: 0.6s On Equip: +15 Dexterity, +5 Speed Valor Boost: 2% SpellsBoss Ranking• Not as good against bosses because there's no weapon synergy currently like with Bombs • While Venom Spell got buffed to do 40-45 x8 which is 320-360 if you hit all shots, Bombs do comparable DPS for less Mana and they're easier to hit Mob Ranking • Great for crowds and farming• Spectral Spell T4 Damage: 37-55 Range: 14 Tiles Shots: 6/Pass through solids Rate of Fire: 2/s Cooldown: 0.5s MP Cost: 45 • Venom Spell Damage: 40-45 Range: 5 Tiles/20 Tiles for the shots Shots: 8/Pass through solids Rate of Fire: 2/s Cooldown: 0.5s MP Cost: 45 Valor Boost: 2% FlagsBoss Ranking• At least 1 or 2 people should have Flags in Boss Raids to boost team DPS • They're about equal but the T4 Flag is usually better than the legendary for reliable weapon damage Mob Ranking • You don't really need a flag for clearing overworld and farming since Bombs or Spells are better• Royal Guidon T4 MP Cost: 70 Radius: 6 Tiles Cooldown: 9s Applies: Tanky on allies for 5s (+10 DEF) Rallied on allies for 5s (+30% PROJ SPD) Strengthened on allies for 5s (+23 ATK) • Blossom Flag MP Cost: 70 Radius: 6 Tiles Cooldown: 9s Applies: Focused on allies for 10s (+20 WIS) Rallied on allies for 10s (+30% PROJ SPD) Healing on allies for 10s (+15 VIT) Mushroom BombBoss Ranking• Interesting alternative to the Totem for boss raids that's slightly less effective but has a unique ability since you can heal from far away due to longer range Mob Ranking • No need here• Mooshroom Bomb Damage: 0 MP Cost: 60 Max Distance: 20 Tiles Cooldown: 0.8s On Hit: Heals yourself and allies for 70 HP Valor Boost: 2%Pixel Quest Armor Tier List Image by Destructoid More details and item stats coming soon for the best armor in Pixel Quest. For now note that my ranking criteria was usually geared toward DPS rather than survivability. Once you learn boss patterns you won't be getting hit anyway and you have Totems or Soothing Pendant to fix any mistakes with healing. That's why armor pieces that boost Attack, Dexterity, Wisdom and Mana are higher. Shoutout to Ahi's Hide that boosts Speed so that you can dodge boss patterns better. Also the Worm's Robe for +50 Mana +10 Wisdom +23 Attack and immunity to sickness. Pixel Quest Equipment Tier List Image by Destructoid More details and item stats coming soon for the best equipment in Pixel Quest. I ranked all Legendary and T4 Belts, Boots, Bracelet, Crowns, Hats, Helmets, Pendants and Rings. For now note that my ranking criteria was usually geared toward DPS rather than survivability. Once you learn boss patterns you won't be getting hit anyway and you have Totems to fix any mistakes with their healing. That's why equipment pieces that boost Attack, Dexterity, Wisdom and Mana are higher. Shoutout to the Soothing Pendant that you can spam equip and unequip to heal. That's it for my Pixel Quest tier list for all weapons, armor, abilities and equipment. Check out my list of all Legendary item drop locations (I'll update it tomorrow with the latest ones from this tier list). The post Complete Pixel Quest Tier List [Weapon/Ability/Armor/Equipment] appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article
Searching for new VR games this November? We've highlighted the biggest releases on Quest, PC VR, PlayStation VR2, Pico, and more. There's no denying that October had plenty to choose from for new releases: Reach, Star Wars: Beyond Victory, Memoreum, Vex Mage, Super RC, My Monsters, and RAGER led the way, and that's before counting ports like Arken Age on Quest 3. Steam also received several ports like The Phoenix Gene, Drop Dead: The Cabin and By Grit Alone, while Broken Spectre: Director's Cut gave the 2023 cosmic horror game new visual enhancements. While it's mostly a lineup of older ports, Inside [JOB] and Enigmo excluded, we recently rounded up every Android XR game currently available that we're aware of. Just be aware that if you own a Samsung Galaxy XR headset following last week's launch, some games require controllers. Those are not bundled with it, cost an extra $250 RRP, and are currently sold out. November is exceptionally busy, so we'll update this list where possible. Our upcoming VR games list is regularly updated too, and we've also prepared a list of new VR Halloween games and updates. Some entries here are more sizable updates for previously released games that we're aware of and wanted to highlight, and we're also including playtests we're aware of. Now, onto the main event. Here are our highlights for new VR games this November on Quest, PC VR, PlayStation VR2, Pico, and Apple Vision Pro. Of Lies And Rain - November 4 (PC VR, PS VR2, Quest) Developed by Castello Inc., Of Lies and Rain is a near-future narrative-driven FPS where you fight to save humanity from near extinction, using the ability to cross between the real and digital realms. Originally released in early access back in September on Quest and Steam, it's now entering full release soon with an accompanying PS VR2 release. Store links - PC VR, PS VR2, QuestElements Divided - November 6 (Quest) Developed by Loco Motion, Elements Divided sees you harness the power of water, earth, fire, and air as an Elementalist. Featuring solo modes alongside online PvP and co-op, you're tasked with competing in tournaments and challenges across different arenas. Following April's early access launch on Quest, it's now entering full release with the same update coming to Steam. Store links - PC VR, QuestForefront - November 6 (PC VR, Pico, Quest) Forefront, the latest game from Triangle Factory (Hyper Dash, Breachers), is a 32-player Battlefield-style VR FPS that's entering early access soon. Offering 16v16 matches where you're split into teams of four, this initial launch comes with four maps with semi-destructible environments, 20 types of weapons, 10 vehicles, and four playable classes. Store links - PC VR, Pico, QuestLaser Dance - November 6 (Quest 3) Laser Dance is a mixed reality obstacle game from developer Vanbo BV (Cubism) where you dodge lasers to hit a button on the other side of your room. The early access launch features 18 levels across three stages, each stage introducing a new type of laser. Further content updates will follow during early access. Store links - QuestLittle Critters - November 6 (Quest) Developed by Little Cities studio Purple Yonder, Little Critters is a light-hearted action-strategy game. Promising a mixed reality twist on more traditional tower defense games, Little Critters sees you fortifying your real-world space by strategically placing traps to stop mischievous critters from attacking from every direction. Store links - QuestRUSH: Apex Edition - November 6 (PS VR2) Originally launched in 2018, wingsuit racing game RUSH by The Binary Mill (Into ******, Resist) is back on PS VR2. Apex Edition includes “fully remastered” visuals and expanded multiplayer for up to 12 players, adaptive trigger support, plus haptic feedback in your headset and Sense controllers. PS5 Pro hits native 120fps performance, while the base PS5 supports 90fps. Store links - PC VR, Pico, PSVR, PS VR2, QuestBattleGroupVR2 - November 7 (PC VR) BattleGroupVR2 by SpaceOwl Games is a sequel to 2023's BattleGroupVR, offering a new strategic space sim where you command fleets across a galactic battlefield. Though Steam lists a NovemberView the full article
Broken Arrow was set to be one of 2025's best strategy games, with its realistic and detailed approach to modern military combat. Touted as a spiritual successor to Command and Conquer, excitement was high, but two main issues have resulted in it falling below expectations: cheaters, and faction balance. In today's new Broken Arrow update, developer Steel Balalaika takes swings at both. However, it's also bringing a new Halloween-inspired mode to the game, and while that sounds like a travesty for a game so focused on realism, its zombie invasion actually looks awesome. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Modern warfare RTS Broken Arrow finally opens up on faction balance struggles Anti-cheat is "a top priority" for devs behind faltering RTS Broken Arrow Now's the time to try Broken Arrow, Command and Conquer's most brutal successor View the full article
You can save big on the Logitech Astro A50 X thanks to this new wireless gaming headset deal. This set of cans doesn't go on offer too often, and this latest deal is the cheapest it's been since April of this year. When I reviewed the Astro A50 X headset, I found it lived up to all of the claims made by Logitech in relation to audio quality, multi-platform efficiency, and long battery life. I even called its Playsync feature a "game-changer" thanks to how easy it makes switching between multiple audio streams without interruption Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Save $40 on this Logitech wireless gaming mouse for right and left-handed gamers Save a massive 50% in this Logitech wireless gaming mouse deal, with loads of colors down to just $29.99 Save a massive $55 on this top-spec Logitech G Pro X Superlight wireless gaming mouse, if you're quick View the full article
A new range of 28mm tabletop miniatures has been announced for the beloved Fighting Fantasy gamebook series. MyMiniFactory, a leading publisher of 3D printing files, launched the 40+ miniatures range on its website on October 30. The product launch campaign offers STL files of these minis, and a "physical limited run boxset" is also available. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Gamebooks: the best Fighting Fantasy books View the full article
Between Warhammer 40k Dawn of War, Company of Heroes, Homeworld, and even Age of Empires 4, Relic Entertainment has proved itself a stalwart of some of the best strategy games on PC. Its newest project is something a little more compact and experimental, coming from a small in-house team within the studio, yet it's already rocketed onto my must-play list as a loving tribute to one of my all-time favorites. This is Earth vs Mars, which has just launched on Steam, and it's got a free demo you can try today. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Company of Heroes and Warhammer 40k dev has a new turn-based tactics game View the full article
How long should a developer leave a game before dropping an enhanced edition? It's a difficult question. The original Baldur's Gate released in 1998 (a lot of people forget BG3 has two predecessors), with Beamdog's enhanced edition landing in 2012. The spruced up version of Neverwinter Nights arrived in 2018, 16 years after its inspiration, with Aspyr Media's enhanced version of its sequel dropping in July of this year, 19 years later. In each of these cases, there's a decent chunk of time between the original and its touched up version, but this is 2025, and weird things are happening. Echoes of the End, which released on August 12 of this year, is getting an enhanced edition, and given it sits at only 425 lifetime reviews, that's somewhat surprising. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Echoes of the End review - unrelenting battles spoil a cohesive action-adventure New earth-splitting ARPG Echoes of the End blends God of War with Hellblade View the full article
Interview | Embark Studios founder and chief creative officer Stefan Strandberg explains how Arc Raiders beats the "Excel sheet" allegationsView the full article
As of near end of day on October 29, 2025, Borderlands 4 players have 48 hours to use three new SHiFT codes, as provided via a post on Gearbox boss ****** Pitchford's X account. As usual, the SHiFT codes in question offer players one Golden Key each, which can be used on a Golden Chest at any Borderlands 4's major hubs. View the full article
Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings MMO appears to have been canceled as part of sweeping layoffs that hit the company’s gaming business hard. This week, Amazon confirmed it was walking away from making new content for its MMO, New World, amid huge layoffs affecting 14,000 roles at the company. According to a report by Bloomberg, these layoffs included “significant” cuts to Amazon’s video game operation, which will reduce development work and layoff staff mainly in its Irvine and San Diego offices. Bloomberg said Amazon was cutting back especially on MMOs. That sparked concern for The Lord of the Rings MMO. Now, one former Amazon Games developer hit by the cuts has indicated the game has indeed fallen by the wayside. “This morning I was part of the layoffs at Amazon Games, alongside my incredibly talented peers on New World and our fledgling Lord of the Rings game (y'all would have loved it),” the developer said in a now-deleted post on LinkedIn. “It’s always tough to see such a strong team go through something like this — I’ve been lucky to work with some of the most skilled, creative, and kind developers I’ve ever met here.” The line “y'all would have loved it,” does suggest The Lord of the Rings is now dead. Neither Amazon nor Lord of the rings rights holder Embracer have responded to IGN’s request for comment. Although The Lord of the Rings was announced in 2023, in August last year, Amazon Games boss Christoph Hartmann told IGN it was still early days. "We're still trying to find the hook, find that idea of what it is because we don't just want to go and do the same thing over," Hartmann said at the time. "While it's tempting sometimes with an existing IP, that's not the point of doing it. You've got to find a fresh twist, and we're still, I think, in that ******* where we really want to find out what could be the hook, what could be the thing which is different to all the other games out there. So it's a little bit early.” In 2023, Embracer said it needed to be "exploiting Lord of the Rings in a very significant fashion" by turning it into “one of the biggest gaming franchises in the world.” Embracer bought the rights to The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit in August 2022 and announced plans to explore opportunities to create new games, movies, and more based on the famous intellectual property soon after. This isn’t the first time Amazon has canceled a Lord of the Rings MMO. In 2021, it halted a Lord of the Rings MMORPG that was first announced in 2019 amid a contract dispute with Tencent. Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at *****@*****.tld. View the full article
Privacy Notice: We utilize cookies to optimize your browsing experience and analyze website traffic. By consenting, you acknowledge and agree to our Cookie Policy, ensuring your privacy preferences are respected.
Arc Raiders, the multiplayer extraction adventure game by Embark Studios, surpassed 100,000 concurrent players within minutes of launching on October 30, and that number is only rising. Developed by the same studio that created 2023’s highly rated free-to-play first-person shooter The Finals, Arc Raiders throws players into a third-person PvPvE environment set in Earth’s distant future. View the full article